Sir John Chilcot Iraq verdict won't be published until January

Pushed back: Sir John Chilcot and his panel of experts will pore over the weight of evidence from the 18 months of hearings

A damning report on the Iraq war will not be made public until January, the Standard understands.

Tony Blair is facing criticism from the official inquiry into the conflict, which had been hoping to publish its verdict by the autumn.

But that has been pushed back as Sir John Chilcot and his panel of experts pore over the weight of evidence from the 18 months of hearings.

Former prime minister Mr Blair is expected to be attacked over four main failings when their conclusions are published. Key allies including his former spin doctor Alastair Campbell and former Cabinet minister Jack Straw are also said to be facing criticism.

Under the rules of public inquiries, anyone taken to task must be told in advance and given chance to respond. But the so-called "Salmon letters" have yet to be sent out, and a source said the process would put the report back until the new year.

When published, it is understood Mr Blair will come under fire for telling Parliament that intelligence suggesting Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was "beyond doubt".

He will also be criticised for failing to admit to a "secret pledge" with former US president George Bush in 2002 that he would go to war. Mr Blair's system of "sofa government" - relying on a small core of key allies, keeping some Cabinet ministers in the dark - will also be attacked, along with a failure to develop robust post-war plans for Iraq.

Sources close to Mr Blair said: "This is a deliberate attempt to pre-judge a report that hasn't even been written yet."